One Step Closer
by harlequin44
Summary: I will give you a future whether you want one or not! Sakura follows Sasuke's trail to find him badly injured. This takes place after the events occuring around chap. 360 of the manga [SASUSAKU]


**A/N: **This is a one-shot that takes place after the events occuring at around chap. 360 in the manga (so if you aren't that far you probably wont get it, but you are welcome to try). Since in this manga arc Sasuke is fiercely battling while Sakura is hot on his trail (hopefully! I mean she was right next to Karin!), I thought this story was just begging to be made. And thus, it was born in one of my nights of insomnia. Although it ended up being a bit longer then I had planned...

This isn't my first fanfiction, but it is the first one I have gotten up the courage to post (since in a few more manga chapters this story will no longer be possible...). Although, I did try and make it as realistic as I could, so who knows? Maybe, I'll get lucky and there will be an actual sasusaku moment in the manga. So, please read and review!! Comments, constructive criticisms, just saying you took the time... it's all very welcome! Thanks:)

**Disclaimer:** Oh, and I don't own Naruto... obviously.

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**One Step Closer **

There was blood, so much blood. It looked like it was coming from everywhere, and yet nowhere at the same time. It was just there. Thick, dark rivers flowing over defiled flesh. Blood hadn't bothered her for a long time. She had seen it so many times before. She had let it cover her hands, as she had placed them on the bodies of those impinging death. But this was different. This body was his. This blood was his.

And so it made her sick. She wanted to cringe in pain. She wanted to cry, and yell, and call out for help. But, more than anything, she wanted to ease his suffering. That's what allowed her to silence the scared, weak child inside of her. That's what made her ignore the girl inside her that wanted to run and hug the man she loved, as he bled from wounds that would have already killed a weaker person. She was more than a child, and more than a girl. She was a medic-nin, and, because of that, for the first time in her life she was the only one who could help him. She took a deep breath and forced herself forward.

He needed her. But, as she looked at his battered form, she knew it was only half as much as her heart needed him.

"Move." Her voice sounded much stronger than she truly felt, for which she was grateful. Not only because it was the job of a medic-nin to show no weakness in front of a patient, but because she knew that was the one thing he expected from her: weakness.

"Who are you?" The girl who had been engaged in tending to the man in front of her, jumped up in shock, and spun to face her; the girl with Sasuke's scent. The tracking dogs had discovered it on her, and they had followed her here. They were supposed to contact the others if the target was found, but she had asked them to wait. Because the last thing she wanted was to give him an excuse to disappear. The dogs had looked upon his injured form from the cover of the trees, and agreed. But she knew that they wouldn't wait long.

"Sakura?" His voice was deep. She'd heard it not that long ago, but its depth still surprised her. It resonated in her ears, and warmed her skin. All he had said was her name, and she was already melting. It had been monotone, and completely devoid of surprise. It sounded more like a statement then a question. Most likely he had sensed her coming before she had even emerged from the trees.

"I said move." She ignored the confusion of the two in front of her, and again directed her focus to the girl standing between her and Sasuke.

The unknown girl took a step back. Probably less in response to the order Sakura had given her, and more in response to the realization that Sasuke apparently knew her. But the short break in the girl's defenses was all Sakura needed. She brushed passed her, and knelt on the ground beside him. He sat with one arm resting on a bent knee, and the other beside him, supporting a great deal of his weight as he leaned into it. He showed no signs of weakness or pain, and he certainly didn't act like someone who had a pool of blood forming around his hand as it pressed against the ground. He acted as if it looked much worse then it felt, but Sakura knew that couldn't be true, or else he would already be walking away.

She quickly tied back her hair, and began a serious analysis of his condition.

"What are you doing here?" His voice continued to hold no surprise, but she knew he still must have been.

"I am part of a mission to find either you or Uchiha Itachi. Whichever comes first." Sasuke raised an eyebrow in surprise. The fact that she was in pursuit of his brother had shocked him enough that he could no longer maintain his look of disinterest.

She had hoped Itachi's name would get a reaction, but she did not pause to revel in her triumph. Her eyes continued to survey his body; never stopping for a second. "But what is more important now is that we tend to your wounds."

"I'm fine." Sasuke shifted his weight in an effort to get up, but his muscles no longer had any strength left in them, and so his progress moved slowly.

Sakura watched him struggle for a few seconds, as even more blood flowed from his wounds in response to the unwanted movement.

She clenched her fists. No. This time she wasn't going to let him push her away. Not when she was finally able to do something for him.

The nameless girl still looked shocked by the whole situation, but made a move to help Sasuke up. However, before she could reach him, Sakura grabbed his arm, and pulled him back down.

"Listen!" She had to be strong. Only strength could reach him. "I don't care if you want my help or not! But the faster your wounds are healed, the faster you can continue with your objective, right? And I can guarantee that that will only happen if you let me help you!"

Sasuke stopped struggling and looked at her. His eyes were dark and piercing. Their intensity made her want to look away, but she knew she could show no signs of backing down. Finally, their staring contest ended, as Sasuke looked toward the perpetually confused girl standing beside him.

"Karin. Did you find anything?"

"Huh? Uh, no, but, um…"

"Then why are you here?"

"Well, but… that's not important now! Your hurt, and I can't just leave you with a strange ninja."

Was it just her, or was there something strangely familiar about the way this girl was acting?

"Go. And only come back before the appointed time if you've found something."

The coldness Sasuke showed to the worried girl also felt painfully familiar.

Karin paused for a few seconds, but grudgingly turned and left, when she was unable to come up with any more arguments.

"Well?"

Sakura jumped as she realized Sasuke was once again looking her. She had been so distracted by the conversation, and the other girl's departure, that she had forgotten her original purpose. She returned his gaze blankly for a few seconds before realizing that he was waiting for her to tend to his wounds like she had offered.

"Uh, y-yes," she could hardly believe it. He was accepting her help. Sasuke didn't look capable of sitting up straight, so she decided to look at his back before moving to his chest. She moved behind him, and placed her hands on his blood-smeared skin. She could feel his back muscles tense slightly in response to her touch before relaxing. She knew it was the involuntary reaction of fatigued muscles, but the fact that her touch was causing his body to react appealed to her. She felt herself blush, and was grateful that she was behind him.

Silence floated between them. Sakura slowly moved her hands over his bare back while skillfully manipulating her chakra to stop the blood in each area before moving to the next.

"So you're a medic-nin now."

Sakura was startled by the break in the silence, but maintained her concentration. Sasuke's voice was still monotone, but she knew that if he really wasn't at all interested, he wouldn't have said anything. Sasuke had never felt the need to break silence with idle banter.

"Un." Sakura responded, while maintaining concentration.

All right, he had initiated the conversation. Now it was her turn to say the things she wanted to.

Sakura opened her mouth, but nothing came out.

It wasn't that she didn't have anything to say. It was that there was too much to say. Too many things she had never told him. Too many things she wanted to remind him. Too many arguments to make in an attempt to bring him back. It was just too much. And the worst part of it was, she knew none of it would make a difference. She may have been touching him, but the current Sasuke was already so far beyond her reach. She was touching him, but she could never touch him.

She felt her eyes begin to fill uncontrollably with tears. Even now, when he needed her more then he ever had, she was still so powerless. She once again took in all the blood and cuts covering his torso. He was so determined to achieve his goal, even if it destroyed him. With that thought, the tears finally broke forth.

She roughly wiped her checks. No, she could cry later. Right now she had a job to do.

"Ok, it should be easier for you to sit up straight now. Cross your legs in front of you." She got up and walked in front of him, before once again kneeling down. She could feel him looking at her, studying her. But she couldn't bring herself to return his gaze. She knew her tearstained cheeks would give away that she had been crying, but for some reason she no longer cared.

She placed her hands on his chest to begin healing him. As she moved her hands over the wounded flesh, she realized, Sasuke really had grown up. She became less aware of the wounds, and more aware of the muscles beneath them. They were fatigued, but well developed, from what Sakura assumed were hours upon hours of training. The heat of their contact gradually spread from her hands to the rest of her body. Her fingers gently traced each muscle repairing their torn fibers. Experience and talent guided her hands. Her brain did not. It had stopped working a while ago, and she felt nothing but dizzy and lightheaded. It was as if the heat was threatening to consume her.

"Are you done yet?" Sasuke's question jerked Sakura from her trance.

"U-um, almost…" Really, every time Sakura came to the conclusion that she had changed so much in the past few years, she would come the startling revelation that in some ways she really hadn't changed at all. Sasuke's presence alone still had the power to leave her breathless. But Sakura knew that whether it was immature or not, the last thing she wanted right now was for this moment to end. Because even though he acted so cold, his body was still so warm, and the next time she touched him even that last remaining warmth could be gone. And then there would never be any reaching him.

"But, remember that your wounds wont be completely healed. I can only stop the bleeding, and the treat them to a certain point. The only thing that will help after that is rest and time. So, please try to be a little more careful for at least a little while."

Sasuke remained silent.

Sakura knew she had to say something else, anything.

"Sasuke-kun… what are you planning to do after you defeat Uchiha Itachi?" Would he answer her? Probably not, but it had been something that Sakura had been curious about for a while now. What was the future to Uchiha Sasuke?

As Sakura had expected, silence followed. She resisted the urge to pressure him, and continued tending to his wounds. She was about to break the silence with a declaration that she was finished, when he broke it for her.

"I am planning to whatever is necessary to kill my brother, and avenge my clan. Everything else is unimportant."

Sakura looked up at him for the first time since she had begun healing him. His answer hadn't been surprising really, or at least it shouldn't have been, but somehow Sakura still felt like his words were choking her.

"… You're planning on dying?" She swallowed hard, but the unpleasant feeling rising in her throat refused to go away.

He returned her gaze. "No, I said I am planning to do whatever is necessary. If I must sacrifice myself to achieve my goal, then so be it."

Sakura didn't know what to say. The pain in her stomach was becoming so severe that she was afraid she might throw up. Surprisingly, though, she didn't have to say anything, since Sasuke continued.

"I have never had a future Sakura; only a past. That past is all that I am; all that I live for." Sasuke got up. Apparently, he already knew that she was finished, and seemed to be done wasting time talking to her. He turned and began to walk away. "I couldn't care less what happens in the future, so long as I can watch Itachi take his last breath."

Sakura stared lifelessly at the spot where Sasuke had once been sitting. The thought that Sasuke had given up on having a future was paralyzing.

"Stop coming after me."

Stop coming after him? He wanted her to give up on him, just like he had given up on himself. Should she? Maybe it was hopeless. Maybe the 'Sasuke' she loved was gone forever. But…

An air of determination suddenly surrounded her, as she rose steadily.

"No."

The force of her response caused Sasuke to stop, but his back remained turned. She knew she lacked the power to stop him, and she probably always would. But, that didn't mean there wasn't anything she could do. It didn't mean she would give up.

"I'll make a bet with you, Sasuke-kun," she turned towards him. His figure was as strong and infallible as ever. "I'll bet that no matter what, I will save you. Even if you see me as nothing more than an enemy, and even if you attack me, so long as I am alive I will never give up on you. If you refuse to protect yourself in order to kill Itachi, then I will protect you instead. No matter how badly you are injured, no matter how close you come to death, I will save you! I will give you a future whether you want one or not!"

Sakura's whole body was shaking uncontrollably from the fervor of her outburst.

"And?"

"And…?" The fact that Sasuke was responding to her caught Sakura off guard.

"You said you were betting me. You need stakes." Sasuke's explanation was as blunt and emotionless as ever.

"R-Right, and… if I save you… then you have to return to Konoha."

"But?"

"…But if I can't then…" Sakura suddenly realized the critical flaw in her bet. If she could save him then he would have to return to Konoha, but if she couldn't save him then… well, then he would be dead. Not much of an incentive.

Sakura felt like an idiot. Even more so because she realized Sasuke must have discovered the flaw in her plan a while ago, and was simply leading her on. It sounded like a bet Naruto would make: passionate, and not very well thought out.

"Hehe," Sakura let out an embarrassed laugh. "Well, I guess it's not a very good bet if you don't get anything for winning…"

Sasuke finally turned his head to look back at her, but Sakura was too busy looking at the ground in embarrassment to notice. He studied her for a few seconds, as an unreadable emotion flickered in his eyes.

"Fine."

"Huh?" Sakura's head shot up in surprise. But he was already gone.

She stared at the emptiness in front of her, as his parting response echoed in her ears.

He had said, 'fine'. He had agreed her ridiculous bet. Her body became warmer and warmer, as she replayed the previous moments in her mind again and again.

He was much further away than he had been only moments earlier, and yet Sakura felt closer to him now then when she had been physically touching him. She was finally one step closer to closing the gap between them. One step closer to the 'Sasuke-kun' she was determined to save. One step closer to the 'Sasuke-kun' she loved.

The others would probably be arriving soon, and would be expecting answers. But, unfortunately for them, there was only one thing she wanted to say. That…

"I am going to save Sasuke-kun. No matter what."

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**A/N:** Thanks for reading! I know its sappy and fluffy, but in my mind I think it is still very possible. :) I apologize for any errors. Again, this is my first post, so please read and review! It will be greatly appreciated! 


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